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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe Pocket Gamer Awards and Google Play Best of recognize different kinds of “best.” Pocket Gamer’s 2024 awards used public nominations, a shortlist and fan voting, with categories covering mobile-game genres as well as updates, ports, communities, publishers, developers and esports. Google Play Best of 2024 was a platform-curated program spanning apps, games and books, with game awards tied to Play Pass, Google Play Games on PC and play across phones, tablets, foldables, Chromebooks and PCs.
A title can win in both systems, but the signals are not interchangeable. A Pocket Gamer win says a specialist mobile-games audience selected or celebrated the game; a Google Play win says Google selected it as a notable fit for its distribution platform and device ecosystem. The right award to value depends on whether you are a player judging community enthusiasm, a developer seeking genre recognition, or an Android user looking for a polished Play experience.
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At a glance: two awards answering different questions
| Comparison point | Pocket Gamer Awards | Google Play Best of |
|---|---|---|
| Organizer | Pocket Gamer, a specialist games publisher | Google Play, the Android and multi-device platform |
| How winners are selected | Public nominations produce a shortlist, then fans vote | Google-curated winners announced by the platform |
| Primary scope | Mobile games, from genres to updates, ports, communities, companies and esports | Apps, games and books, with game categories linked to Play services and devices |
| 2024 timing | New releases generally had to fall between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024; some categories used the wider back catalogue | Annual 2024 program; Google’s announcement does not state one universal release-date rule |
| What a win communicates | Recognition from a mobile-gaming publication’s audience and awards process | Recognition inside Google’s Play distribution and device ecosystem |
| Can a game win both? | Yes | Yes |
This is why “Which award is more important?” has no single answer. The programs measure different kinds of credibility rather than ranking every mobile game on one shared scale.
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Three stages: nominations, shortlist and fan vote
Pocket Gamer’s official 2024 About page describes a three-stage process. First, the publication opened its categories to public nominations. Those responses were used to create a shortlist. Fans then had the month of November to vote on the shortlisted games. Winners were announced at a live event on 6 December 2024.
#1 Best Overall
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That sequence matters because the audience does not simply vote on every game released during the year. Public input first helps determine which games are placed in contention, and the later vote decides among the shortlisted entries. The process therefore combines an open nomination phase with a defined final ballot.
Release eligibility was specific, but not identical for every category
For new releases in the 2024 awards, Pocket Gamer gave an eligibility window of 1 October 2023 through 30 September 2024. That date range prevents a late-2024 launch from being judged as though it were part of the same cycle. Pocket Gamer also notes that some categories draw on the wider mobile-game back catalogue, so the release window should not be treated as a blanket rule for every award.
This distinction is useful when reading categories such as Best Updated Game of the Year or Best Game We’re Still Playing. Those awards can recognize an established title’s ongoing performance rather than only a game that first appeared inside the 12-month release window.
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Pocket Gamer’s 2024 winners index includes the following categories:
- Best Updated Game of the Year
- Best Multiplayer Mobile Game
- Best Game We’re Still Playing
- Best Digital Board/Card Game
- Best Family Game
- Best Puzzle
- Best Action
- Best RPG
- Best Strategy
- Best Sports/Racing
- Best Platform
- Best SLG/Simulation
- Best Roblox Game
- Best Mobile Port
- Most Anticipated Game
- Best Community
- Best Mobile Publisher
- Best Mobile Developer
- Best Mobile eSports Game
- Mobile Game of the Year
The breadth changes what a Pocket Gamer trophy can mean. A genre winner is a recommendation within a type of play, while Best Community recognizes the relationship around a game. Best Mobile Port focuses on bringing an existing game to mobile, and Best Updated Game rewards continuing support. Publisher, developer and esports categories shift attention from a single release to the organizations and competitive scenes behind it.
Examples from the 2024 winners
Pocket Gamer’s 2024 news coverage gives several examples of how its categories operate. Brawl Stars won Best Updated Game, Eggy Party won Best Multiplayer, Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus won Best Game We’re Still Playing, and Balatro won Best Digital Board Game. These results show that the awards are not limited to one definition of a new “premium” release: an ongoing service, a multiplayer title, a long-lived game and a card-focused game can all be recognized in different ways.
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How Google Play Best of 2024 works
A platform-curated annual program
Google’s Best of 2024 announcement, dated 18 November 2024, presents the program as Google Play’s annual selection of outstanding apps, games and books. It names winners for major awards such as Best App, Best Game, Best Multi-device App and Best Multi-device Game, then lists additional game categories.
Unlike Pocket Gamer’s published 2024 description, the announcement does not describe a public nomination-and-fan-voting sequence. It presents the winners as Google Play’s curated selections. That makes the award a platform judgment rather than a result that readers should assume was decided by an open ballot.
AFK Journey was Google’s Best Game
Google named AFK Journey its Best Game of 2024. Google’s stated reasons were the game’s expansive roster of characters, satisfying tactical battle system, vast explorable world and beautiful art style. Those reasons read like an evaluation of the complete player experience: content breadth, combat design, world scale and presentation.
The wording also illustrates a difference in emphasis. Google’s explanation focuses on qualities of one game as experienced within the Play ecosystem; it does not frame the result as a category vote by a specialist mobile-games readership.
Device and service integration are explicit categories
Google named Clash of Clans Best Multi-device Game. Its explanation points to the game’s expansion to PCs and Chromebooks and optimization for phones, foldables, tablets, Chromebooks and PCs. In other words, the award recognizes not only the game itself but also how it extends across supported Google Play surfaces.
The 2024 game-category list also included Best Multiplayer, Best Pick Up & Play, Best Indie, Best Story, Best Ongoing, Best for Families, Best on Play Pass and Best for Google Play Games on PC. The labels connect awards to play style, audience, subscription access, long-term support and device or platform integration.
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- Cushioned and Durable Membrane: The X5 Lite is equipped with cushioned and durable membrane triggers and buttons. The cushioned feedback provides a comfortable experience while ensuring quieter operation
Google’s cited announcement does not publish one universal release-date rule for all of these categories. You should therefore avoid assuming that every Google Play Best of category uses the same cutoff or that a title was eligible under a single published window.
The major differences, category by category
Fan judgment versus platform curation
The clearest dividing line is selection. Pocket Gamer’s 2024 process explicitly invited public nominations and then asked fans to vote on a shortlist. Google Play’s announcement presents a curated set of winners selected by the platform. A Pocket Gamer result can therefore be read as a measure of audience enthusiasm within a mobile-games community. A Google result is a statement from the storefront and platform that a title fits its view of excellence for that year.
Neither method is automatically more objective. Fan voting can reveal which games have an active, motivated audience, but participation and familiarity can influence any public ballot. Curation can compare games through a consistent editorial or platform lens, but the public announcement does not expose a vote count or a detailed scoring formula. Treat the awards as different evidence, not as two readings of the same ranking.
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Mobile-game breadth versus Play ecosystem breadth
Pocket Gamer stays tightly centered on mobile games while stretching across many ways of understanding them: genre, longevity, updates, ports, community, companies and esports. Google Play Best of covers a broader product universe that includes apps and books, then places games in categories connected to the Play ecosystem.
That difference affects where a title may appear. A mobile game with a notable community or a strong port can find a natural Pocket Gamer category even if its major distinction is not device support. A game that works especially well across a phone, tablet, Chromebook and PC, or that is available through Play Pass, fits Google’s category language more directly.
Release-window precision
Pocket Gamer published a concrete 2024 window for new releases: 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024. It separately noted that some awards use the broader back catalogue. Google’s 18 November announcement does not state a universal release window. The practical result is that Pocket Gamer’s eligibility can be checked against an explicit date range for relevant categories, while Google’s announcement alone does not let you infer one common cutoff.
Rank #4
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What each award says about ongoing games
Pocket Gamer makes ongoing play visible through Best Updated Game of the Year and Best Game We’re Still Playing. Google includes Best Ongoing, but places it alongside categories such as Best on Play Pass and Best for Google Play Games on PC. Both programs can reward a live or long-running game; Pocket Gamer’s category structure foregrounds the game’s continuing community and update history, while Google’s labels also ask how the game functions within Play’s services.
Can the same game win both awards?
Yes. The systems are independent enough that a game can satisfy both audiences and selection lenses. Eggy Party is the documented 2024 example: Pocket Gamer named it Best Multiplayer, and Pocket Gamer’s report says it had also received a Google Play award.
That overlap should not be treated as evidence that one program copied the other or that the awards are equivalent. It means the game was visible to a specialist mobile-gaming audience and also met Google Play’s criteria for recognition. When a title appears on both lists, the two trophies reinforce different aspects of its reputation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which award matters more for different readers?
If you are choosing a game to play
Start with the category that matches your question. A Pocket Gamer genre award is useful when you want a mobile-focused recommendation for puzzle, action, RPG, strategy, sports/racing or another defined style. Best Community or Best Game We’re Still Playing can point toward a title with an active audience or staying power. A Google Play category is more informative when your choice depends on device reach, Play Pass availability, pick-up-and-play design, family suitability or PC support through Google Play Games on PC.
Use the award as a filter, not a substitute for checking the game’s current fit. An award identifies what was recognized in the 2024 cycle; it does not promise that your preferred genre, device or play schedule will match the winner.
If you are evaluating a developer or publisher
Pocket Gamer’s developer, publisher, community, update and esports categories can be especially meaningful when you want recognition of the work surrounding a game. They distinguish a successful launch from sustained operation, community stewardship or competitive support.
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Google Play recognition is more relevant to a team focused on distribution and cross-device execution. Best Multi-device Game and Best for Google Play Games on PC signal that Google noticed how a title operates beyond a single handset. Best on Play Pass highlights availability through Google’s subscription service, while Best Ongoing addresses continued support in the Play context.
If you are comparing industry visibility
Do not add the trophies together as though they were points on one league table. Pocket Gamer reaches a specialist mobile-games audience through a publication-led awards process. Google Play speaks from the storefront that distributes Android apps and supports multiple device types. A game can be highly valued by players and critics in one context while being less suited to another platform-oriented category.
A practical way to read a 2024 winner list
- Identify the exact category. “Mobile Game of the Year,” “Best Updated Game,” “Best Multi-device Game” and “Best on Play Pass” answer different questions.
- Check who selected it. Pocket Gamer’s 2024 process involved public nominations, a shortlist and fan voting; Google Play’s announcement describes platform-curated winners.
- Check the time basis. Apply Pocket Gamer’s 1 October 2023–30 September 2024 new-release window only where that category uses it. Do not assume Google’s announcement supplies a matching universal cutoff.
- Match the award to your use case. Choose genre and community signals for a mobile-game recommendation; choose device, service and Play-platform signals for an ecosystem decision.
- Look for independent overlap. A title recognized by both programs, such as Eggy Party in 2024, has two distinct forms of validation, not one duplicated award.
Common misconceptions
“Pocket Gamer winners are simply the games with the most nominations.”
Not exactly. Nominations were used to build a shortlist, and fans then voted during November. The final result came after both stages.
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“Google Play Best of is a public popularity poll.”
Google’s 2024 announcement presents a curated program. It does not describe a public voting stage or publish vote totals, so a reader should not label the winners fan-voted.
“Every Pocket Gamer category covers games released in the same year.”
The 2024 new-release window was 1 October 2023 through 30 September 2024, but Pocket Gamer says some categories draw on the wider back catalogue. Ongoing-game and legacy-focused categories therefore require category-level reading.
“A Google Play award proves a game is best on every device.”
Only some Google categories are explicitly multi-device. The Best Multi-device Game explanation for Clash of Clans mentions phones, foldables, tablets, Chromebooks and PCs; that does not turn every Best of winner into a universal cross-device recommendation.
“If a game wins both, the awards are redundant.”
The Eggy Party example shows the opposite. One award can represent specialist audience recognition, while the other represents Google Play’s platform curation. Their overlap is informative precisely because their methods differ.
The bottom line for players and the industry
Pocket Gamer Awards are the stronger signal for what a mobile-games audience celebrates across genres, longevity, updates, ports, communities, companies and esports. Google Play Best of is the stronger signal for what Google considers outstanding within its app, game and multi-device ecosystem, including Play Pass and Google Play Games on PC.
For a buying or downloading decision, use the category and selection method rather than the trophy name alone. For a developer or publisher, read a Pocket Gamer win as audience and specialist-community recognition, and a Google Play win as platform recognition. When one game earns both, the result is complementary: it has connected with mobile-game fans and also stood out in Google’s curated Play environment.
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